Becoming a student

Student benefits

Secure a support network like no other

At Chartered Accountants Ireland you will experience a really supportive environment. Our training takes place on site and all of our courses are run directly by us. The Institute provides a smart, bright and professional space to concentrate on your studies and interact with fellow students, creating valuable study hubs together.

All of your textbooks and materials, including the online Learning Journal – an essential guide that helps you map your progress.

There will be regular questions/assignments and quizzes to make sure students have viewed and engaged with the online material.

Online lectures are available for students to watch on demand.

Online forums will be available to allow for peer engagement and lecture support.

We will schedule ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions (AMA) so that students can log into a chatroom forum and ask the lecturer a series of questions. These will be scheduled and students will be notified in advance.

We also run CA Diary sessions as online sessions. You can ask questions about recording your experience in the diary .

Academic support is available from the Education team.

Every student will have the opportunity to ask that any aspect of the online content be clarified. The lecturer will then do their best to put this into the contact session.

The mock exams provide students with a valuable opportunity to practice and prepare for the final examinations. For the majority of students, these exams are self-directed, unless you are training with a firm who has chosen to organise an in-house formal sitting.

Accountancy Ireland Extra newsletter

Accountancy Ireland Extra is the newsletter and online magazine for students the publication features social and technical updates, interviews with students and recently qualified ACAs, exam tips from the experts and examiners, and a wealth of professional and personal development advice.

Recent blog posts

Chartered Accountants Ireland was established in 1888 as an all-island body, and has a strong presence in Northern Ireland, with 3,700 members and 1,100 students based in NI. Training is delivered from our Belfast centre on Linenhall St, with NI tax and NI Law taught to students in the area.

Here, we share some stories from students and members in Northern Ireland – their experience studying and working as Chartered Accountants.

“I came to Chartered Accountancy from quite a different angle, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University, and only afterwards turned towards a career in business. PKF FPM is a medium size practice with 8 partners and offices in Newry, Belfast, Dungannon and Dundalk. Training in a smaller practice gives a very rounded experience – you get to deal with clients on many different kinds of projects, and interact directly with the senior partners, which is great for really understanding tax, audit and accountancy.

I’m also involved with CASSI, the student society, which represents the views of students in careers and education matters. With CASSI, we can provide practical support to students as they go through the training. Of course there’s a social aspect too, and it’s a great way to network with trainees from other firms and businesses.”

2. Read Claire Stewart’s story in the Ulster Star Online, Claire began with a degree in Business and Computing for there she qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2009, she is now running her own practice.

3. Dawn Johnston is Director at Deloitte LLP in Belfast and is heavily involved with Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Ulster Society. Dawn spoke to Spreadsheet, the magazine of the Ulster Society, about her career to date, her interest in how we develop new Chartered Accountants.

“I started in the Audit Department while working though my professional exams and I loved the work from the start. I enjoyed working in a team, going out to different offices, seeing the big picture behind each business and being given responsibility early on in my career. I felt – and I still feel – that there is a tremendous privilege in being an auditor. We get incredible access to the business and deal with all areas, whether it’s the sales director, production manager or managing director.” Read more….

4. Keith Scott, Northern Ireland Water’s Business Performance Manager. Keith studied a non-business degree; he then took a conversion course at University of Ulster in Jordanstown before starting his training contract with ASM Accountancy practice in Belfast.

“I decided to train as a Chartered Accountant with ASM, a mid-sized practice in Belfast. This provided a broad exposure to the audit of private and public sector organisations, along with experience in taxation and economic appraisals” Read more….